Cornyn offers a $15 billion border plan

By Bill Lambrecht, Washington Bureau

August 3, 2017Updated: August 3, 2017 8:23pm

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, STF / Associated Press

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Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, points to a poster with an image of barrier on the Texas-Mexico border as he talks to reporters about border security, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, on Capitol Hill Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) less

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, points to a poster with an image of barrier on the Texas-Mexico border as he talks to reporters about border security, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, on Capitol Hill ... more

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, STF / Associated Press

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Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, speaks during a press conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. Senate Republicans said they will make a major push in this fall's appropriations process to fund security enhancements along the U.S.-Mexico border, including a border wall. Photographer: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg less

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, speaks during a press conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. Senate Republicans said they will make a major push in this ... more

Photo: Zach Gibson / Bloomberg

Cornyn offers a $15 billion border plan

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WASHINGTON — Texas Sen. John Cornyn injected his voice Thursday into Congress’ troubled dealings over border security with legislation that authorizes spending $15 billion over four years for a broad new enforcement strategy.

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Spending on the wall that President Donald Trump vows to build has dominated debates on Capitol Hill, threatening to derail any progress toward comprehensive reforms.

A $1.6 billion outlay for the wall approved by the House last week stands little chance of winning the supermajority needed in the Senate given rock-hard Democratic opposition.

Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, insists the problem lies in the lack of an overall security plan, which he said has diminished public confidence and triggered skirmishes on Capitol Hill that show no sign of abating.

His proposed Building America’s Trust Act, which he intends to advance next month, avoids ordering wall construction and instead calls for a multilayered tactical plan that also could include fencing, levees, technology or other physical barriers.

“We don’t know how that $1.6 billion fits into an overall plan for the entire Southern border. Doing this on a piecemeal basis, I think, is really not the most efficient and most practical and most effective way to do it,” Cornyn said at a news conference.

Cornyn's massive legislation — 462 pages in length — requires the Homeland Security Department to work with localities to determine solutions related to barriers and general security.

The bill has provisions aimed at faster and more efficient entry at ports and also addresses the problem of unaccompanied minors arriving at the border by requiring swifter screening by immigration judges.

The legislation includes authorization for thousands of new Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. This week, homeland security’s inspector general cast doubt on the agency’s capacity to incorporate the 15,000 new agents sought by Trump, citing hiring standards and the absence of a deployment strategy.

Cornyn’s legislation encompasses proposals that already have found favor with other segments of Congress. They include “Kate’s Law,” named after a San Francisco woman murdered two years ago by an undocumented immigrant, which would impose mandatory stiff prison terms for people re-entering the country after being deported for serious crimes; and provisions that aim to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities.